Forgive but Never Forget
by SkyGem
Summary: At the age of sixteen, the candidate for Vongola Decimo, Sawada Tsunayoshi, was thrown into Vendicare prison on the accusation of assassinating the young Lion of the Vongola, Sawada Iemitsu. Now, five...Full summary inside. Semi-AU. Rated T for language.
1. Prologue

Summary: At the age of sixteen, the candidate for Vongola Decimo, Sawada Tsunayoshi, was thrown into Vendicare prison on the accusation of assassinating the young Lion of the Vongola, Sawada Iemitsu. Now, five years later, new evidence is found proving the prisoner innocent. Upon being released, his guardians find he's no longer the same boss they once knew and loved; he's broken, lifeless. Will they be able to help heal him? Or is the warm, kind, and caring Tsunayoshi gone forever? Semi-AU. No Pairings. Rated T for language.

SkyGem: Hey all! Yeah, sorry for not updating for so long, and now that I do, it's a new story XD. But I just couldn't help it. Earlier, I was reading a "Harry is sent to Azkaban" fic for the Harry Potter fandom, and I couldn't help but think, "wouldn't this plot be totally awesome for a KHR fic?" And here's the product of that thought. I hope you guys like!

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

Tsunayoshi Sawada was starting to get scared.

There was something wrong with him.

Everywhere he looked was black.

Every time he tried to move his arms and legs, they wouldn't obey him, as if chained.

He was imprisoned in his own mind.

He had never felt this way before, but he knew what was happening.

There was no way it could be anything else.

He was possessed.

* * *

"NO! GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF OUR DECIMO!" rang out the clear, furious voice of one Hayato Gokudera.

The silverette lunged forward, trying to get at the bandaged guards of Vendicare prison.

Before he could get more than a foot, though, two pairs of hands shot out to stop him.

"Calm down, Hayato," said Takeshi Yamamoto in an uncharacteristically grim voice.

"You can't just attack the Vindice," added Ryohei Sasagawa in an oddly quiet voice.

"But they're taking away Decimo!" shouted Hayato, his expression one of desperation. "We have to save him! They can't take him away!"

"Shut up, herbivore," hissed Kyoya Hibari, and Hayato stopped struggling for the briefest of seconds.

Taking those seconds as an opportunity, Kyoya turned to a small boy of about 10 years of age who looked as if he was trying his best not to cry.

"Who is the most likely person to have killed Iemitsu Sawada?" Kyoya asked of him.

The boy, Fuuta de la Stella, sniffed once before getting a determined look on his face, getting ready to consult the ranking planet in order to prove that his nii-san was innocent.

As leaves, rocks, and twigs began to float all around them, young Fuuta went into a trance-like state, and when next he spoke,his voice was distant.

"Out of everyone in the mafia, the person most likely to have murdered Iemitsu Sawada is...Vongola Decimo candidate, Tsunayoshi Sawada."

At these words, there was a great outcry, and the Vindice guards, who had stopped to see what was going on, turned and escorted their frantic prisoner away.

Hayato Gokudera collapsed to the floor, all his energy leaving him, and Chrome started to cry.

As everyone present fell into a state of shock, nobody noticed the small droplets of rain that had begun to fall from the clouds blanketing the sky.

* * *

SkyGem: Really short, I know, but it is just a prologue. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought, ne? And again, I'm really sorry for not updating more often. My laptop's got a virus and I need to get it cleaned and I won't be getting it back for a while now. Please be patient, and I'll have the next chapters of: "No Need to Hide," "Harry Potter and the Guardians of Vongola," and "Dear Maestra" out as soon as possible. Well, that's it for now! Ciao!

P.S. Please check out my blog if you haven't already, ne? It still isn't very good, but I'm doing my best!


	2. Except

_"No! No, it wasn't me!" shouted out the brunette, his blood soaked hands grasping at the air as he was led away by the Vindice guards._

_But his please fell on deaf ears; Hayato was lost in his own little world of betrayal and lost friendship._

_The rain felt so cold on his skin, each tiny droplet feeling like a needle piercing into his skin._

_"The sky! Look at the sky!" he was shouting. "It's raining! Rain! Everyone! Look!"_

* * *

Gasping_, _Hayato jerked up in his bed, shaking all over.

The silverette looked wildly around before remembering that he was in his bedroom in the Vongola HQ.

Taking deep breaths, he tried to calm his racing heart, feeling a deep-seated bitterness well up inside him.

Even now, after five years had passed, he was still having dreams of that night.

Dreams of the man that had betrayed him.

The man that he had once looked up to; the man he had loved like his own brother.

After that incident, it had been so hard for Hayato to continue. After all, everything he'd come to believe in had been torn apart in front of his very eyes.

That event had caused him to become even more mistrustful than he had been before, and if he could have, he would have left the mafia without a second look back.

But he couldn't.

He'd sworn to protect his Family no matter what, and going against that now would make him no better than the man he detested oh so much.

...but no.

He didn't hate him.

He couldn't hate him.

No matter how much he tried, no matter how many times he told himself he did, he couldn't bring himself to hate Tsunayoshi Sawada, the man that had saved his life, the man that had given him everything.

Suddenly, Hayato was snapped out of his thoughts by the ringing of his cell, and he picked it up, wondering what anyone would want to tell him at five in the freaking morning.

"What do you want?"

_"Get down to the interrogation room, herbivore. Right. Now."_

And without so much as another word, the line cut off.

Spewing out a string of colourful vocabulary, Hayato threw on whatever clean clothes he could find before heading out to the "interrogation room" (read: torture chamber).

* * *

Rokudo Mukuro had a predatory grin on his face as he stared down at the man that was completely apprehended in the chair in front of him.

Distantly, he heard the door open and close behind him four more times and finally, all the others were there as well.

Finally, he could begin his session.

"It appears," he started out in a quiet voice, "that we have got quite the catch this time..."

"Cut the crap and tell us who you've captured this time, pineapple-head," said Hayato crossly. "It's still five and I need to get back to sleep."

Mukuro, though annoyed that he'd been interrupted, replied to the silverette's question in a pleasant voice, saying, "This man we've got here is none other than the notorious Aberto Agostino."

And immediately, everyone's attention was on the ragged-looking man tied to the chair in front of them. Of course, they'd all heard of him.

Aberto Agostino; despite having only made his debut in the world of the mafia four years prior, was already very famous as an illusionist.

Some were even beginning to compare him to the Varia's Marmon and the Vongola's Rokudo Mukuro.

On the surface, he seemed to be nothing more than your exceptional hitman for hire, but the Vongola knew better; Mukuro knew better.

Here was the man that was behind the recent attacks on the already-crumbling Vongola. Here was the mastermind of it all.

Walking forward, Mukuro reached out a hand and wrenched the man's chin upwards so he had to look at them.

Despite what one would expect, Agostino didn't look terrified or angry or desperate... instead, he had an unpleasant smirk on his face.

"I'd always wondered when I would come face to face with Mukuro Rokudo himself," he said.

Mukuro merely let go of his chin to walk around him, the other guardians moving forward.

"You've caused our family quite a bit of trouble, signor Agostino."

The man smirked, saying, "As expected of the mist guardian of the Vongola. You were able to trace it all back to me despite my efforts."

"You don't seem to be afraid," mused Mukuro, his voice calm.

"Oh, I'm absolutely terrified," replied the captive, his expression anything but. "I've known for a while, though, that I would be caught in the end. Nothing less to be expected of the Vongola, the strongest mafia family in Italy. Though I have to wonder why you felt the need to have the other guardians here. Afraid your captive will escape?"

Mukuro sneered at this. "Hardly," he replied, "but your little games have had them running all over the world, and I just thought they'd appreciate seeing you...interrogated."

Agostino just smirked in reply, saying, "Unfortunately, it seems like you won't be able to go through with whatever slow, painful, death you have planned out for me."

"And why might that be?" asked the illusionist, his voice casually curious.

"Because there's still one of my games you haven't quite escaped from yet. And once you do, I do beleive you won't have enough presence of mind to not kill me on the spot."

Mukuro's eyes narrowed in suspician, and the other guardians leaned in a little to see what he would say.

"You see," he began, his expression one of psychotic anticipation, "approximately one year before I made myself known in the world of the mafia, I decided to do a little test, to see if I had what it took and frankly, I'm surprised it went along so well."

"Get on with it," growled Hayato, whose stomach was churning for reasons unknown. He had an odd premonition that these next few minutes would not be pleasant.

Agostino turned his psychotic grin on the bomber, saying, "This will probably be hardest for signor right-hand, though. I wouldn't be surprised if he were to be the one to kill me when heard about it."

"About what?" asked Takeshi in a kind of morbid curiousity.

Without taking his eyes off of Hayato, Agostino said in a deceptively serene voice, "I'd heard before that signor illusionist once wanted to possess the Decimo candidate. Did he ever get around to doing it?"

For a quick second, the man's eyes flicked over to Mukuro's disgusted expression, then back to Hayato, a smirk on his face. "I see he hasn't. Well, I can tell you, it's exactly what one would expect of a weakling like him."

And now, the room was deathly silent.

There was blood roaring in Hayato's ears as his mind raced to try and comprehend what Agostino was saying and finding one far-fetched solution that made the silverette almost want to throw up.

"It was so disgustingly pure," continued Agostino. "Everything he did, he did with his family and friends in mind. I almost felt sick, you know? I felt sure when I saw his mind that my plan would never work. I was convinced that no one would believe that he had murdered his father, that everyone would know that he had been possessed. Turns out I was wrong though. I must be a better actor than I thought, huh?"

Almost before Agostino had finished talking Hayato's thoughts were racing, wondering where everything could have gone wrong. And, unbidden, snippets of conversation from that day came to the forefront of the silverette's mind.

_"Out of everyone in the mafia...Vongola Decimo candidate, Tsunayoshi Sawada."_

_"...__It's raining! Rain! Everyone! Look!"_

Hayato felt his stomach clench, tears forcing their way out of his eyes and flowing down his face as his mind finally made sense of those seemingly insignificant words.

Fuuta's rankings were always one hundred precent accurate, except...

...for when it rained.

* * *

SkyGem: Voila! I hope you guys liked this chapter, ne? And I'm curious, who actually noticed that in the last chapter? About the rain? Leave me a review, all of you, and let me know! Anyways, that's if for now, since I gotta go to sleep! Ciao!


	3. Should Have Seen It

Mukuro dimly heard the grief-stricken wail of his dear Chrome as she collapsed to the floor in a way eerily reminiscent of that incident five years ago, but found that he couldn't move to comfort her. His mind was almost numb as he tried to process his thoughts, as he tried to cope with the sudden, unbearable guilt and grief that was welling up inside him.

Remembering his first and last visit to the Vendicare to see Tsunayoshi, the words came to him, spoken through phantom lips.

"_Mukuro-kun! Y-you're here! P-please, tell them to let me out! Please Mukuro-kun! I really didn't do anything!"_

_There was a sneer of disgust before a hollow voice said, "I thought you were different, Tsunayoshi, I was foolish enough to believe you when you told me that you would change the mafia. But you are just like them; you're just like the scum who took me from my family as a baby and tortured me all in the name of science…no, you're worse than even them because you tortured and killed your own __**father**__. I may have done many terrible things in my past, but even I have to draw the line somewhere."_

"_But Mukuro-kun, I didn't do it! Why would I kill my father? Please, Mukuro-kun! Just look into my mind! Possess me! You'll see that it really wasn't my fault! Please Mukuro-kun! MUKURO-KUN!"_

"_I have no desire to be in a mind as filthy as yours. Goodbye, Sawada."_

The blue-haired boy didn't even bother to suppress the choked sob that escaped his lips.

He should have known; he should have known right then that there was something up. Never before had Tsunayoshi actually asked him to possess him; he safeguarded the privacy of his mind almost above all else.

The knowledge that he could have, in mere seconds, prevented his boss's five long years of suffering was eating away at Mukuro, sinking deep claws of self-loathing and regret into him.

Why hadn't he seen it?

* * *

Agostino watched in psychotic glee as the Vongola guardians completely broke down. He was probably the only outsider that had ever witnessed this scene, and that gave him a kind of sick satisfaction.

He wasn't stupid, though; he knew that the moment they pulled themselves back together, he was a goner.

And he didn't care.

He'd done his job, and that was all that mattered to him.

He'd successfully faked the death of one of the most influential men in the whole Italian mafia, and he'd brought the once great Vongola down to its knees.

No, he wasn't worried that Tsunayoshi would be able to rebuild the Vongola once he got out. That _boy_ had already been a weakling before he'd been sent to the Vendicare. Now, after more than five years in there, he was sure to be a blubbering mess.

And that sight would probably break the Vongola more than anything else ever could.

And when the Vongola was weak with hopelessness and despair, that was when the Fantasmi would strike.

"ENOUGH!" shouted a commanding voice, and Agostino was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts.

Looking towards the source of the voice, he saw, with a shock, that it was the storm guardian, Hayato Gokudera.

The man, though his face was tear-stained, looked powerful and commanding, his face a mask of calm.

Since when had he had that level of control over his emotions?

Agostino watched in horrified fascination as all the guardians' expressions of grief and guilt changed to shock and then into stony masks of calm as they all nodded in obedience of their second-in-command's orders.

"Kyoya, Mukuro, he's yours. Do whatever you want, but **don't** kill him until you've got as much information as possible from him."

And it was then that the beginnings of an icy dread began to invade Agostino's mind. He'd banked too much on the guardians being too distraught to do anything but kill him on the spot. He'd never even imagined this scenario could happen.

More than death, more than being sent to Vendicare, the torture of the Vongola Decimo's cloud and mist guardians was what terrified not only Agostino, but most sane Mafioso, the most.

Even the Vindice weren't likely to come and get him when they found out that he was the man that had caused so much chaos in the world of the mafia in these past years; such was the fate of the Vongola's 'interrogation' victims. The damage they had to endure was worse than anything that even the Vindice could do.

As the smug smirk dropped off of Agostino's face, the cloud and mist guardians approached him, their faces still expressionless and somehow, that was even scarier than their normal, sadistic smiles.

"Chrome, go get Decimo's room ready. Remember, he's been in the water prison all this time and hasn't seen any light, so his room needs to be dark to not damage his eyes. Everything has to be sterile because his immune system will have weakened and he'll be prone to illnesses."

The female illusionist nodded meekly before walking calmly out of the room.

"Lambo, go tell Celino to get some food ready for Decimo. He's been given his vital nutrients through IV all these years, so make sure it's something easy to swallow, and not too much of it, okay? Most preferably soup, or some kind of pudding. When you're done with that, go help Chrome with setting up his room."

"Hai!" said the eleven-year-old immediately, turning and heading out of the room with a purposeful stride.

"Ryohei, go inform Nono and his guardians about what has gone on, and request them to give our rings back now that Decimo is free again. There probably won't be much for you to heal once he gets back, but you have the most medical knowledge among all of us, so be ready to do a thorough check-up, and call Dr. Shamal and his two students here as well."

Ryohei nodded and left, for once not saying his trademark "extreme."

"Takeshi, you'll be coming with me. Get dressed in something presentable and call ten of our strongest men. We don't want anything to happen on the way there or back."

The rain guardian left the room with a little nod and then, Agostino was left alone with the three remaining guardians.

The storm guardian turned cold green eyes on him, and Agostino felt a shiver run down his spine.

How many times had he been told not to underestimate his opponents?

How many times had his boss reminded him that the Decimo guardians were known as the second coming of Primo?

And what had he done?

He'd gone and done exactly what he'd been told not to do.

And now, he was staring right at the Smoking Bomb, and he'd never been more terrified in his life.

* * *

SkyGem: Well, there's the third chapter. I hope you guys like. And I'm sorry, I know you guys were looking forward to updates this weekend, but I really can't do it. The only reason I could update this was because I already had half of it done before my world was completely turned upside down, and I needed something to keep me busy and to keep my mind off things. But tomorrow, I'll be busy with my dad's funeral and stuff, so…yeah. I'll have to take a week or so hiatus. If you're looking for any further news, you'll find it on my blog soon enough. The link is on my profile. Anyways, that's all I've got to say for now. I hope you guys liked this chapter and please do leave a review. Bye-bye.


	4. You Can See Your Son

Timoteo and his guardians were in the middle of a meeting when Ryohei burst into the meeting room, completely out of breath. They had been discussing a most pressing problem (their lack of an heir), but the younger male's arrival soon had all their attention.

All of the would-be tenth generation guardians knew never to interrupt a meeting, so something important must have happened for Ryohei to burst in here.

"Hayato and Takeshi…going to…Vendicare prison" panted Ryohei, trying to get air into his lungs. "Tsuna…innocent…"

The Ninth generation's reaction was immediate. The rain and storm guardians, Schnitten Brabanters and Coyote Nougat, got up out of their seats, and with a nod of approval from Timoteo, quickly exited the meeting room to try and catch up to their successors.

Once Ryohei had caught his breath, Timoteo looked him straight in the eye and said, "Tell me what happened."

* * *

_Heavy._

_Why do I feel so heavy?_

_Different._

_There's something different today._

_My limbs feel uncomfortable._

_I don't like their position._

_I feel cold._

_There's a draft in here._

_What's going on?_

_Where's all the water?_

_Wait…someone's touching me._

_No! _

_Don't take off my mask! _

_How am I going to breathe?_

_I don't want to drown!_

_I have to get out of here!_

_I have to prove my innocence!_

_Warmth._

_I feel warm._

_Why?_

_The Vendicare isn't warm._

_Arms._

_Someone's holding me._

_Impossible._

_Who would hold me?_

_A whisper._

_I hear a whisper in my ear._

_Whose voice is that?_

_What are they trying to tell me?_

_I don't understand._

…_I'm tired now. _

_Too tired._

_And it's so warm._

_I think I'll go to sleep._

_Maybe when I wake up, it'll all be a dream._

_Maybe I'll be back in the Vongola mansion._

_It hasn't happened the last two thousand times. _

_But maybe I'll get lucky this time._

_Maybe I can go back home._

* * *

Hayato held his boss delicately in his arms, as if he would break at the slightest touch.

He looked so weak, so vulnerable. How could this happen?

How could they have let this happen to their precious sky?

Clutching the brunet closer to him, Hayato whispered to him in a quiet voice, "I never should have stopped trying, Juudaime."

There was no reply from the almost lifeless figure in his arms.

The only thing that let Hayato know that Tsuna was still alive was the barely visible rise and fall of his chest that seemed as if it could stop any moment now.

Suddenly feeling a hand on his shoulder, Hayato looked away from his best friend's closed eyelids and up into the face of Coyote, who had, along with Schnitten, come with Takeshi and Hayato retrieve the young Decimo.

"Let me hold him," said the man, reaching forward. When Hayato pulled away, using his body to protectively shield Tsuna from view, the man sighed in exasperation. "Hayato, you're stronger than me, so it would be more practical to have you acting as a bodyguard, would it not? News of Tsunayoshi's release shouldn't have travelled yet, but in case it somehow did, we need to be on guard. It's better to be safe than sorry."

The silveret hesitated for a moment more but, not finding any fault with the man's theory, he grudgingly handed Tsuna over to the older male, his fingers lingering just a second longer than they should have, as if he was afraid that if he let go now, he wouldn't ever see his friend again.

* * *

When Tsunayoshi Sawada arrived at the Vongola HQ, all ninth and tenth generation guardians were waiting for him.

Chrome had thought that she was ready for what she would see, but she had severely overestimated herself.

When the girl saw her boss in the ninth storm guardian's arms, something within her broke.

Tsuna looked so weak, so vulnerable.

A thick black blindfold hid the upper half of his face from view, protecting his eyes from the bright lights they had become unaccustomed to these past years.

He may not have been excessively skinny or dirty or anything, but he looked so small in Coyote's arms, more like the sixteen-year-old he had been the last time they had seen him than the twenty-one-year-old he was now.

Over the years, his hair had grown much longer, until it reached his mid-back; now fluttering innocently in the slight wind stirred up by Coyote's walking.

"He was alone…all alone," Chrome heard Mukuro whisper quietly from beside her. "He didn't have someone like Chrome…there was no way for him to escape. Even though he was in as long as me, his sentence was so much worse…"

Chrome squeezed his hands gently when she heard these words, blinking back the tears that were threatening to take over.

Mukuro was right.

Tsuna didn't have anyone.

He had been in there all by himself, with no one, nothing, for company for five long, long years.

If only she'd tried harder.

* * *

News of Tsuna's release from the Vendicare spread like wildfire through the world of the mafia, with Dino Chiavarone being among the first to find out.

The blond had been on his way back to his office from the kitchens, a mug of coffee held in his hands, when Romario had run up to him with the news.

"Tsunayoshi is innocent!" was all he said, completely without preamble. Those three dangerous words came out of his mouth without so much as a warning, paralyzing Dino when he heard them.

The blonde's grip on his mug loosened, sending it crashing to the floor, shattering into a million pieces.

"W-what?" he asked in a quiet voice, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yesterday, the Vongola caught Agostino," explained Romario, "and found out that he'd possessed Tsunayoshi. He was the one responsible for everything. Takeshi and Hayato have retrieved Tsuna from the Vendicare and he is currently at the HQ. They're trying to keep this as quiet as possible until he recovers. Takeshi called me just now to let me know."

Dino stared at Romario, a little dazed, as his brain tried to make sense of all this information; he tried to reconcile with the fact that his little brother, his precious little brother, had been sent to the **Vendicare** for **five years **despite being **innocent**.

It just didn't seem possible.

And before he even knew what he was doing, Dino reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

The moment Reborn picked up, he shouted, "How could you?"

There was complete silence on the other end.

"How the hell could you let this happen?" demanded Dino in an outraged voice. "You told me! You told me that it was definitely him! You told me that all the evidence pointed to him! You wouldn't listen to me when I told you that Tsuna couldn't do this, even though you could have easily gotten him out right away if you'd tried! Give them back to him, Reborn! Give my little brother back the past five years of his life! Hurry up and take responsibility!"

Reborn remained quiet all through his rant, not saying a word in defense of himself because it was all true.

In the end, all he could force out of his mouth were just two words.

"I'm sorry…"

* * *

"I'm coming!" Nana said in a chirpy voice when the doorbell rang, drying her hands on a tea towel before going to answer it, a smile on her face.

The moment she saw who was standing at the door, though, the smile completely disappeared from her face, leaving behind only a cold expression that definitely did not suit the ever cheerful woman.

"Reborn…" she greeted with a nod. "And what business brings you here? Have you finally come to tell me the reason you people have forbidden me from seeing my own son?"

Reborn, the adult Reborn, just looked up at her through haunted onyx eyes, his mouth opening to form only two words.

"I'm sorry…"

Nana just sniffed before stepping aside to let him in, taking this as an agreement.

Reborn stepped into the hallway of the house that had once been his home, looking around with almost nostalgic eyes.

When he finally settled on the living room couch, Nana sitting facing him, he felt his throat suddenly close up.

"You can see your son now…"

* * *

SkyGem: Hey guys! So sorry that this wasn't up yesterday! I really tried my very best but the powers-that-be are very scary. I was so close to finishing, but she wouldn't let me. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please do leave a review telling me what you thought! Oh, and if you still haven't voted on the poll on my blog yet, you still have a chance to! I'll be taking it off at around…6 in the evening (EST). So hurry up and go be a part of the decision of what fic I write next! Ciao!


	5. Open Your Eyes

When Dino Chiavarone arrived at the Vongola mansion, he immediately headed up to his little brother's room.

Upon getting there, the blond Don was stopped just outside the boy's room by a guard, who had him step into sterilizing shower before he was allowed into Tsuna's room.

Although frustrated, Dino complied, knowing that this was all to keep the young Decimo's health from deteriorating any more than it had.

When he was finally free to enter the room, it took Dino's eyes a while to adjust to the darkness, and when they had, he almost wished he still couldn't see, because the sight of the twenty-one-year-old Tsunayoshi, laying prone and vulnerable on the bed was enough t bring tears to his eyes.

The little brunet was hooked up to a multitude of wires and life support machinery, and his guardians were gathered around him, their heads bent and looking for all the world as if they were grieving.

Dino felt a surge of anger flare up inside him at the sight of them. These were the people that were supposed to stand by his little brother's side no matter what, but had decided to abandon him at the drop of a hat. They were just as bad as, if not even worse than, Reborn. And now they were standing at Tsuna's bedside as if they had any right to be there.

Deciding to act a little childish, Dino completely ignored them as he walked up to Shamal and asked the man, "How is he doing?"

Shamal looked up from the chart he had been jotting down notes on as his two students and Tsuna's sun guardian kept working over the boy, checking his pulse and typing away at keyboards.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Shamal forwent his usual complaints about not treating men, and told the Chiavarone Don, "Five years in there has really taken its toll on him; he's even worse than Mukuro was when he was released. The constant immobility has caused his muscles to atrophy greatly, although thankfully there aren't any blood clots; he has severe malnutrition; brain activity is at a minimum; his nervous system has severely weakened and it's likely he'll get very, very sick before he can start to get any better."

As he listened to the doctor's report, Dino had to fight hard not to put his hands over his ears and curl up in the fetal position. Would his little brother ever be the way he was again?

A certain storm guardian, it seemed, had been thinking along the same lines as Dino, because the next voice to speak up was Hayato's, asking, "And how long before he's back to normal?"

"Even with the Vongola's advanced technology and medical information, it will take at least three months before his nervous system can handle simple things like the common cold, and another four months before it's up to par with how it was before," Shamal told them, his voice curiously tight. "I recommend we start building up his immunity as soon as possible. As for his muscle loss, he's lucky that there's been no permanent damage done. Approximately two years of physical rehabilitation and he should be moving at the same level as an average person his age. Another year or so will be needed to get him back to the level he before he was imprisoned, and after that, it's all up to Reborn and Tsunayoshi how long it takes him to get to whatever level he should be at now. Any questions?"

"You said there was minimal brain activity," spoke up Takeshi, "What can we do about that?"

Here, Shamal sighed; he'd known this was coming. "I'm afraid I have no answer to that. Every person is different, and the reduced brain activity could be due to any number of reasons. The only thing we can do for now is wait for Tsunayoshi to wake up."

"And his eyesight and voice?" asked Mukuro.

Shamal brightened up just the tiniest bit, relieved that he didn't have any more bad news to give. "Luckily, his eyesight hasn't been damaged at all and it shouldn't take his eyes all that long to get used to normal lighting again, a week or two at the most. As for his voice, it will be rusty from disuse for quite a while, but will get better with use."

* * *

_Voices._

_They're so familiar._

_But who do they belong to?_

_I can't remember._

_I can't recognize them._

_Are they even real?_

_Maybe I'm just dreaming._

_That's right._

_I'm dreaming._

_There's no way they can be real._

_I'm still in the Vendicare._

_And those voices are imaginary._

_The warmth is imaginary._

_The bed is imaginary._

_Those hands holding mine are imaginary._

_That kiss on the forehead is imaginary._

…_It's all imaginary._

* * *

A week had passed since Tsuna had been brought to the Vongola mansion, and still, the boy showed no signs of waking up.

Sticking to Shamal's suggestion, and under Ryohei's supervision, the unconscious brunet had been exposed to some bacteria and germs, and already, he was violently sick. The young Don had a dangerous fever that doctor's were working around the clock to keep in check, and he was sweating so much, it took a lot of effort to keep him hydrated.

The news of Tsunayoshi's being released from the Vendicare had swept around the world within days, and the Vongola was on high alert from all the assassination attempts that had been made.

By the time one Sawada Nana made it to the Vongola headquarters, about eight days after Tsuna had been released, the whole mansion was in lockdown, and made for a terrifying sight.

The not-so-young-anymore woman's eyes were still red from all the crying she'd done upon being told that her son had been in jail for the past five years on the completely incorrect accusation that he'd murdered his own father. Her throat was raw from screaming at Reborn. Her energy was completely spent.

So when she saw the mansion, all the windows covered with steel shutters, all the entrances blocked, guards stationed every five feet along the walls and on the roof, and hundreds more patrolling the grounds, all she did was follow Reborn quietly to a hidden entrance.

Once they had gotten inside the headquarters, everything was eerily quiet and seemingly deserted, but any trained eye could see that there were guards everywhere.

The closer the two got to Tsunayoshi's room, the heavier the protection became, and even Nana, who's attention was focused mostly on her son, started to become apprehensive.

"With your son in the Vendicare for the past five years, the Vongola was without an heir, and in danger of dying," explained Reborn. "A lot of other Famiglias were quite happy to see the end of the Vongola's bloody reign, so they're all shaken now that our Decimo is back; they're starting to get desperate, hence our need for the tightened security. We mustn't let Tsunayoshi get hurt any more than he already is."

Nana nodded without a word; Reborn had explained about the Vongola when he'd told her about Tsuna being in prison, and she still couldn't believe that she'd let such a monster live with her and her family, that she hadn't listened to Tsuna all the times he'd told her about his demonic Spartan tutor.

When Nana finally entered her son's bedroom, though, all these thoughts disappeared from her mind within seconds of seeing her little baby.

Letting out a wail of despair, the Sawada matriarch ran up to her Tsunayoshi's bedside, his guardians immediately making room for her.

Tears running down her face, Nana gently took Tsuna's face in her hands, ignoring his burning skin, which was a result of his raging fever.

The older Sawada took a moment to study Tsuna's face, to note all the little changes in it since she'd last seen him, before showering his cheeks with kisses.

"T-Tsunayoshi, it's mama. P-please wake up," sobbed the woman, desperately watching her son's eyes, waiting for them to open. "C-come on, Tsu-kun, don't you w-want to see your o-okaa-san? P-please…"

There was no change in Tsuna's countenance, and Nana's hiccupping sobs grew louder, as did her pleas.

"C-come on, Tsu-kun. Everyone's waiting for you to open your eyes. P-please, Tsu-kun…"

This time, there was a small flutter of eyelashes, and Nana's eyes widened.

"Tsu-kun?" she asked with hope in her voice.

Again, his eyelids fluttered a little, as if Tsuna was trying to open his eyes.

Nana brought her hand to her mouth when she saw this, stifling the relieved sob that was trying to get out.

And finally, on the third time, Tsuna's eyelids fully opened, allowing everyone to see his beautiful brown eyes for the first time in five years.

* * *

SkyGem: Well, the end was certainly emotional. I hope I didn't overdo it, or anything, but I sincerely think that's how Nana, or any mother really, would have reacted. Anyways, please do leave a review and let me know what you thought, ne? Ciao!


	6. The Prisoner

The distant sound of a door grinding open on rusty hinges brought the prisoner out of his thoughts, and when he looked up, he saw the face of the person he hated most in this world.

"Damiano…" hissed the prisoner. "What do you want?"

The man smiled his wicked smile and said, "Tsk tsk tsk. That's not a very polite way to talk to your superior."

"You're not my superior!" spat the prisoner. "A dog is a thousand times better than a man like you!"

A tick appeared on Damiano's forehead and, giving in to his anger, he kicked the prisoner squarely on the jaw.

The prisoner, though, showed no signs of pain, he just glared contemptuously up at Damiano, who by now had regained his composure.

Taking a deep breath, the man slapped his smile back in place and said, "I don't know why I'm even bothering, but I've got some…'good' news for you." The way his face twisted when he said this showed that 'good' was too much of an overstatement for what he was about to tell the man before him.

When the prisoner didn't say anything, Damiano's expression didn't dampen in any way, no, in fact, his smile grew wider.

"It looks like…" he began, drawing the words out, "the young Decimo has finally been released."

At these words, the prisoner's eyes widened, and his head snapped up to look at his captor.

Damiano noticed the man's newfound interest, and said, "Caught your attention now, have I? Well, don't get your hopes up. After five years in the Vendicare, that _boy_ will be nothing but a wreck. And even if he does somehow physically recover, he's probably traumatized by now, and I doubt there's any way at all for him to salvage his relationship with his guardians, either. Not with the way they betrayed him."

"I wouldn't be so sure," replied the prisoner quietly, his eyes burning into Damiano's with frightening intensity. "The bond between those kids is stronger than either you or I could ever imagine. And Tsunayoshi is stronger than you think, Damiano. It would do you well not to underestimate him."

"If that's what will keep you going, then feel free to keep believing it," Damiano replied in a silken voice, his expression patronizing, "but that won't make it any more true."

And with that, the man turned and left, his cruel laugh ringing in the small room for a few seconds after he'd left.

When he was finally gone, and there was complete silence, the prisoner let his head fall, becoming the very picture of helplessness.

"We've both been imprisoned for far too long, Tsunayoshi. I hope you haven't forgotten how to trust, because that's the only way you'll ever be able to fully recover again," whispered Sawada Iemitsu to his lonely cell.

* * *

_Voices._

_I hear voices again._

_There's a new one this time._

_It sounds familiar._

_So familiar._

_Whose voice is it?_

_It's important._

_I know it it's._

_But who…?_

…_Crying._

_They're crying now._

_Why are they crying?_

_It couldn't be…_

_It couldn't be for me…_

_Right?_

_Who would cry for me?_

_They all think I'm a killer…_

_Should I look?_

_But it's just a dream…_

_But it couldn't hurt to look._

_Just once._

_I need to know who's crying._

_I need to know why they're crying…_

…_I need to know._

* * *

When Tsuna finally opened his eyes for the first time in five years, the first thing he saw was his mother, her face streaked with tears, looking relieved.

"Tsu-kun…" she sobbed out, but Tsuna just stared at her.

This dream was different from others.

His mother looked so different, which was a first. Whenever Tsuna dreamed, it was always as if time were at a standstill. He always dreamed of his mother and everyone else looking the same way they did when he'd last seen them.

Rather than the young, beautiful and cheerful woman he remembered his mother as, she looked older, her face showing anger and loneliness and relief rather than the smile it usually wore.

Suddenly, the boy's attention was caught by the presence of others.

Looking around, he saw his guardians, all standing around his bed, looking straight at him, but not meeting his eyes, their faces riddled with guilt, all except Kyoya, whose expression was carefully clear of all emotion.

Even they looked different. Their faces were more mature, their eyes lacking their usual innocence.

This was a pretty realistic dream…

'_And what if it isn't a dream?'_ whispered a small part of his mind. _'What if all of this is real, and you really are back home?'_

"Tsu-kun?" asked his mother in a worried voice, and the brunet returned his attention to her and saw that she was close to crying.

Even if this was a dream, Tsuna had no wish to see his mother cry, and so, in a voice rusty from disuse, he said, "Okaa…san?"

It came out as more of a croak than the voice of a twenty-one-year-old, but Nana didn't seem to notice that. Tears of joy and relief sprang to her eyes, and she had to resist the urge to cuddle her son to death.

"Tsu-kun…" she repeated, and the tiniest of smiles made its way onto Tsuna's face.

Suddenly, though, the door burst open, and in came Timoteo and his guardians, their eyes immediately moving to Tsuna.

"You're awake…" said the Vongola Nono quietly, a relieved expression coming onto his face. "Thank god. I was beginning to think you'd never wake up, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Tsuna turned his head to stare wordlessly at the man, his eyes drawing into a frown.

Timoteo seemed to notice this, because he stopped his approach a few steps away from Tsuna's bed and bowed his head, not looking at the boy.

"I'm so sorry," said the man. "You have no idea how sorry I am…even though I was the one that brought you into this dark world, I turned my back on you. I wouldn't blame you if you never forgive me…"

"…I'll forgive…you…" croaked out Tsuna his voice just above a whisper, and Timoteo's head whipped up, his face wearing an expression of shock. "**But**…I'll never…forget…"

Tsuna stopped for a second, as if to get his breath back.

"I'll never forget…that in the entire…mafia world…no one...no one was willing…to stand up for me…when I needed…it the most…"

Every mafioso in the room had on the same pained expression as Tsuna said this. His next words, though, left them all completely speechless.

"No one…except for…Dino-nii, Reborn-san, and my guardians…"

* * *

SkyGem: Dun Dun DUN! Wow, two big revelations in one chapter, I'm on a roll today! Lol, I gotta admit, it's been entertaining, seeing everyone say how much they want Tsuna's guardians to suffer. Anyways, leave a review, ne? I wanna see everyone's reactions to this new revelation! Anyways, see you next time! Ciao!

P.S. Tonight's chapter of StR may be a little late, 'cause I'm going out to eat with a bunch of my friends, but I'll definitely get it out, so look forward to it, ne?


	7. Plans

"No one…except for…Dino-nii, Reborn-san, and my guardians…"

As everyone stared at the brunet in shock, Tsuna just smiled faintly at his guardians, and at Dino and Reborn.

"What are you talking about, Tsunayoshi?" asked Timoteo, obviously confused. "Don Chiavarone was the only one that believed you were innocent…wasn't he?"

"No…" Tsuna said, quiet as a breath.

"Juudaime, I-" Hayato began, but was cut off with one look from Tsuna.

"I am…very disappointed…in you, Hayato…In you…and Takeshi…"

Hayato clenched his hand into a fist at his side, grinding his teeth together as he looked down in shame.

"We're so sorry, Tsuna…" said Takeshi in a voice that sounded as if he was going to burst into tears any second now.

"We should have tried harder."

"That's not…it…" said Tsuna, his voice sounding frustrated, and both guardians looked at him with confused expressions. "I'm not…disappointed because of…that. I'm disappointed…because you…let yourselves get…hurt because of…me…"

Both Takeshi's and Hayato's eyes welled up with tears at that, and everyone else was looking between the three of them, obviously not understanding what was going.

"Hurt…?" asked Reborn, his brows furrowed. Then, all of a sudden, understanding and maybe even just a hint of pride dawned on his face, and he said, "You can't mean that time…?"

Takeshi just nodded in answer to his question, but he didn't look away from Tsuna, and his tears didn't stop falling either.

"I'm happy…that you didn't…give up on me…"

And at this, Hayato started crying louder, collapsing to the floor, his head bowed. "B-but we did give up on you, Juudaime! We stopped trying after that! We stopped trying!"

"Because…they threatened you…they threatened…to imprison you…as well…"

"Who cares?" asked Hayato. "You were a-already in there! We should h-have kept t-trying!"

"An-and, we let them convince us. W-we let everyone e-else convince us that y-you were guilty!" added Takeshi, stumbling over the words as he tried to choke back his sobs.

"It's not…your fault…" breathed Tsuna, "If you're told…a lie…enough times, you…will begin…to believe it's…true. And…if you truly…believed I was…a murderer…you wouldn't…have stayed in…the mafia…this long. I think…deep down…you still knew…I was innocent…"

Takeshi and Hayato didn't reply; they just kept crying and crying. The two cried for their boss's unconditional trust in them; they cried because they knew they could have done so much more; and they cried for what they believed was undeserved forgiveness.

And finally, when no one else in the room could take it anymore, Dino blurted out, "What the hell are you guys talking about?"

No one answered him for a moment, but after finally getting himself back under control, and seeing that Hayato wouldn't be able to answer the question, Takeshi spoke up.

"We-well, it began soon after T-Tsuna was arrested…"

_Flashback_

_Takeshi was starting to get really worried about Hayato._

_The storm guardian hadn't come out of his room at all since that day almost a week ago._

_If one stopped to think about it, that shouldn't be too surprising, considering how much Hayato had idolized Tsuna, but even over his own grief, Takeshi felt worried about his silver-haired friend._

_And so, taking with him a tray of cookies and two cups of tea, the rain headed towards his friend's room, steeling himself for what he would see there._

_Takeshi didn't really know what he had expected, maybe Gokudera lying on his bed, his eyes swollen from crying and with an empty expression in them, but that was definitely not what he had found._

_When Takeshi entered Hayato's bedroom, he immediately found the silveret, who was sitting at his desk, scribbling furiously away at something._

_On the floor around the boy were hundreds of crumpled up pages._

_Carefully setting down the tray, Takeshi went over and picked up one of the papers._

_It was a testament to how hard Hayato was working that he still hadn't noticed Takeshi's presence, even when the boy gently flattened out the paper, making sure not to rip it._

_It took Takeshi's brain a few moments to properly process what the writing and diagrams on the paper meant, but when he finally understood, he quickly bent down to pick up another paper._

_Flattening out that paper, Takeshi studied it for a moment and found that it was similar to the first paper. The rain guardian repeated this step another few times, just to make sure, and every time he un-crumpled another piece of paper, he found something of a similar nature to the first two papers written on it._

_All these papers, _every single one_ of these papers held discarded plans on how to break Tsuna out of the Vendicare._

_Every single piece of paper was jam-packed with Hayato's tiny, neat handwriting, with notes detailing how every single step of the plan would be carried out, and there were even diagrams to help explain some of the more complicated steps._

_Looking at these sheets of paper, Takeshi felt a chill run up his spine._

_He knew he shouldn't be surprised, but seeing the extent of Hayato's complete and utter loyalty to Tsuna…it was almost frightening. Every single word he wrote practically screamed out his determination to prove his boss innocent._

_Taking his eyes off the paper, Takeshi looked at Hayato's hunched back, watching the other male scribbling furiously, and he felt disgust at himself well up inside him._

_Seeing Hayato working so hard, Takeshi had to wonder how he could ever have thought, even for a second, that Tsuna could possibly be capable of murdering his own father. There was no way in hell that that same boy who whad been upset when Daemon, one of his __**enemies **__had finally passed on, could have murdered his own father._

_It was completely and utterly impossible._

_Making a split second decision, Takeshi looked up at Hayato and startled the boy out of his plan-making frenzy by asking, "Is there any way I can help?"_

_End Flashback_

* * *

SkyGem: Well, well, well, how's that for dropping a bomb, hm? Are you guys surprised? Lol. Please do leave a review and let me know what you guys thought, ne? Ciao!

P.S. For those of you who don't know yet: I have a new blog called "Fanfiction DOs and DON'Ts." Please check it out if you have the time, ne?


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